In Former Taliban Sanctuary, an Eerie Silence Takes Over

By

Dion Nissenbaum

Updated Jan. 28, 2013 3:39 p.m. ET

KOTKAI, Pakistan—In the midst of a sprawling desert stands a small town that has the look and feel for some of a prefab Potemkin village.

The military has tried for three years to transform this onetime Taliban sanctuary into a model village. Well-concealed caves once used by militants have been supplanted by cliff-side army outposts. Teens who might have become insurgent recruits now play soccer with soldiers on a refurbished sports...